What you need to know
- Microsoft SwiftKey for iOS recently received an update that includes bug fixes and improvements.
- While such updates are usually not noteworthy, this is the first update the app has received since it was brought back to the Apple App Store.
- Microsoft announced plans to retire SwiftKey on iOS in September but later changed its plans.
Back on September 28, 2022, Microsoft announced that it would retire SwiftKey for iOS from the Apple App Store. The company then reversed its plans and brought SwiftKey back to iOS. Now, the popular third-party keyboard app has received its first update since it was mysteriously removed and brought back.
Vice President & GM Microsoft Office Product Group Vishnu Nath highlighted the update on Twitter and shared what was new. The changelog only states that version 2.9.4 of SwiftKey for iOS has "bug fixes and performance improvements," but Nath specified that the update addresses issues surrounding signing in to a Microsoft account within SwiftKey.
The strange saga of SwiftKey being retired and unretired occurred without an explanation from Microsoft. While not cited as a reason, it is worth noting that Apple makes it difficult to use third-party keyboards due to "security concerns."
Regardless of reasoning, SwiftKey is now back in the Apple App Store on iOS and holds a respectable 4.6 out of 5 rating. Notably, that's higher than Google's Gboard, which only has a 4.0 out of 5 rating.
When the app first returned to the store, Nath asked people to "stay tuned to what the team has in store for it!" That suggests that Microsoft has long-term plans for SwiftKey on iOS. We'll continue to follow the development of SwiftKey, including whatever Nath and his team have "in store" for the app.
